Flight of the Dragon Riders
by Heihachifangirl17
Summary: "Every story has an end. But in life, every end is a new beginning." She nodded at his words, and shared some of hers. "But also, life is a story. So you shouldn't give up on your story until it's complete. Otherwise, no one will read it."
1. The Portal

URGENT MESSAGE:

Hello, this is the person who owns(owned) the account "Biggest-Heihchi-Fan17". I'm sorry I haven't been on to update the story Dragon Rider, but I logged out of fanfiction one day and no matter what I tried, fanfiction wouldn't let me back on that account. so I created a new account and I will be continuing Dragon Rider.

I'm sorry for any inconvenience, and i'm sorry for anybody who thought this was a waste of time, but it was important to me

~Admin (Anyway, lets start the story again)

~oOo~

Dragon Rider

Chapter 1

The Portal

Terra's point of view

"C'mon Sirrus! Faster! We can't let it escape!" I urged Sirrus to go faster as we chased after the rogue dragon. It was a shadow dragon that had stolen an important dragon artifact: A rare goblet.

Sirrus picked up speed by flapping his wings wildly as Azure and Ayrm surpassed us. I wasn't surprised.

Azure was the fastest dragon rider ever, and between Ayrm and Azure, it was like they had psychic powers. It seemed as though Ayrm knew what Azure wanted him to do without even talking.

They quickly tackled the dragon to the ground, who was hissing madly. Ayrm roared back, silencing the dragon. It still had a frenzied look in it's eyes.

Sirrus and I caught up with them as Azure leapt from Ayrm. She looked a little irritated, but still stayed calm as I walked over to where Azure was.

She walked up to the dragon's face, and said in a stern tone, "Give back the goblet. Now. Or I'll set Ayrm on you, and trust me, when that happens, you won't see daylight ever again." The dragon hesitated, and gave up the goblet. Sirrus took the goblet as Ayrm got off the dragon, who got up and disappeared into the forest. "You're lucky that you are getting no punishment!" Azure shouted after it.

_There are getting to be many rogues these days. _Ayrm said in a deep, rocky voice. _Agreed. _Said Sirrus as he examined the goblet. _Interesting, inlined with Emeralds and Peridot. Other than that, its covered in gold leaf. The patterns carved into it are exquisite._ "That's nice Sirrus." I say with a bit sarcasm. _I was just saying... _Sirrus said in an annoyed voice.

"Come on, let's go back to Soaring Flame." Said Azure. (Azure, Terra, and the dragons do not live anywhere near Kanna village, btw. Ok so we're cool. Back to the story -) She turned to Ayrm and Sirrus. "Thank you for helping. You may go home now." Sirrus instantly flew away, but Ayrm stayed. _Are you sure you don't need a ride home? _He asked. "We'll be fine. You were the one doing the flying, not us." I said while examining an exotic plant. _All right. _Ayrm said as he got up and flew away.

Azure and I exchanged a look as we started walking out of the forest. Only one problem. We went deep into the forest to catch the rogue, so now I have no idea where the heck we are. Azure didn't seem to care though.

After walking thirty miles or so, I stopped and slouched against a tree. "Azure, I'm tired..." I said in a whiny voice. Azure looked at me at gave me an exasperated look and sighed. "Alright, we can rest for a bit, but we must make it to Soaring Flame before dark."

As I looked to my right, I saw a flash of glowing purple light. I rubbed my eyes and saw nothing. I sighed and slouched against the tree again. "Look!" Azure exclaimed all of a sudden. I turned and saw a glowing purple portal. We barely had time to react before it sucked us up.

_End of chapter 1 _(Please review XD I am making a few changes to the story for those of you who have read the other Dragon Rider story) **Sorry for the short chapter! I assure you that the next chapter is longer!**


	2. Kanna Village

Chapter 2

Kanna village

**Terra's point of view**

As I was freed from the portal, I realized I was floating in midair until I painfully landed on my butt. "Oww... That hurt... Stupid portal..." I said as the portal disappeared.

I got up and looked around. I was in the freaking middle of nowhere. I looked up and saw I was in a valley. I started stomping the ground in rage. "Of course I'm in a valley! I can't even contact Sirrus! AARRRGGGGHHHHHH!" I yelled. I started to calm down and think about what I could do to get out. I could turn into Sirrus and fly out, but I am to tired and it's starting to get dark. I could climb out, but it's extremely dangerous.

"I guess I'm staying the night." I said, extremely angry. I lay down uncomfortably on the ground and fall asleep.

**Azure's point of view**

I fell out of the portal and crashed into a tree. I screamed and gripped onto the closest branch to the ground, which was still ten feet above ground. "Ok," I told myself. "You are going to jump down from the branch. It's ok, you're a dragon rider, you can do this." I took a deep breath, and let go of the branch. As I was falling, something slashed me and left me with a deep cut in my right arm.

I landed on my feet, but painfully. The impact of hitting the ground caused a jolt of pain up my spine, and gave me a headache. I grit my teeth and held my arm where I had the cut.

I looked around to find the exit out of the forest I was in. It was kind of hard to see because I was dizzy, but I finally found an opening. Because I was dizzy, I had to walk slowly so that I wouldn't get worse, but I finally made it out.

I looked around the area I was in. There were rice fields as far as the eye could see, and it looked like there was a little village nearby, with a big hut being the closest to me. There was nobody that I could see, except for a blond man wearing a crimson outfit with two swords across his back. I walked over to him to see if he could at least tell me wear I was, because he had somewhat of a cold scowl.

"E-excuse me." I asked him faintly. He turned to look at me, his intense crimson eyes staring deeply into my sapphire blue ones. "D-do you know where I-I am?" Great. I'm sounding like a total weirdo in front of him. I doubt he's going to help me now. He gave me a calculating look and replied in a deep voice, "Why do you hold your hand over your right arm?" he said while pointing to my arm. "Oh. I got cut somehow when I was in the forest. Don't worry about it..." I said as I revealed my cut, which was oozing blood. He nodded in reply. He still hasn't answered my question. Maybe he doesn't know himself. "You," he exclaimed to me in the same deep voice. "Are you from here?" "N-no... that's why I asked where...I...am..." I said extremely faintly as I started to collapse to the floor. I felt really hot, like, more hot then normal. I was also extremely dizzy. _Fatigue maybe. Maybe I over worked myself today, catching the rogue dragon and everything..._ I thought to myself.

The man knelt beside me a laid a hand to my forehead. I think anyway, because fatigue was starting to overcome me. "Fever." He said, a little more softly. I opened my eyes a crack and saw the man stand up, unsheathed one of his swords, and pointed it at me. "Don't move. Stay here or I'll kill you." He said. He sounded like a killer that was extremely over-protective of certain things. "I...doubt I'll...be...able to...move any...way..." I said as fatigue fully overcame me as I fell unconscious.

**Kyuzo's point of view**

I swiftly ran over to the hut where all the other samurai were. I usually don't help sick or injured people; I just wait for someone else to take care of them. But since the girl didn't even know where she was, least I could do is get some help for her.

I got to the hut door and busted it open. The only samurai that were in there was Kambei and that big oaf Kikuchuyo, along with the water priestess Kirara. I didn't say anything. I just looked at them with a scowl.

"What is it Kyuzo-dono?" Kambei asked, looking up from his cup of tea. "Oh, someone's definitely angry about something! HAHAHA!" Kikuchuyo said. Ugh. That stupid machine says the stupidest things. I unsheathed one of my swords and pointed it an inch from his face. At least I think it's his face. "Do you want to die?" I said with fierceness. The oaf hesitated. "Uh...I was just...kidding..heheh..." I sheathed my sword and walked just outside the doorway, looking at all of them, then saying, "Come."

I started walking outside, then stopped to turn around to see if the others were following me. Sure enough, they were, Kirara with some hesitation, Kambei without any hesitation, and the machine was just being plain lazy, but he was following me anyway. I lead them to the hill where the girl was.

"Here" I said once I reached her. All the other samurai gathered around her. "What happened? How did she get in this state?" Kirara asked me. I shot her a how-would-I-know? look and she fell silent. Kambei was thinking while the machine kept talking. "Whoa! The great and once evil Kyuzo really does care about people! Maybe that's because he has a cru-" Kambei and I both hit him at the same time with such force that we made a dent in him. "Kikuchuyo! Be quiet! We don't want to wake her up!" Kambei whispered/yelled and Kikuchuyo. I hit him because I wanted him to shut up.

Kambei examined her cut, and felt her forehead. "This cut and fever we can fix. Is she hurt anywhere else Kyuzo-dono?" He asked me. "Not that I know of." I said while looking toward the forest where she first appeared. How did she get here? She doesn't look like she's from anywhere nearby.

Kambei stood up and looked toward the hut. "We need a way to transport her to the hut..." He keep scratching his beard until he came up with an idea. "Kikuchuyo," He said as he turned to him. Kikuchuyo stood up and faced Kambei. "What is it Kambei?" He said casually. "I need you to carry her back to the hut." Kambei said while pointing to the hut. "Why do I have to do it?!" Kikuchuyo complained. "Because we're not able to," Kambei fired back. I walked over to Kikuchuyo and hit him once again. "Go." "Alright alright I'm moving! Sheesh!"

Kikuchuyo picked the girl up as we all started walking back toward the hut.

**Kambei's point of view**

I opened the door and looked around the room. "Uh, great samurai..." Kirara said. I turned to face her. "Where are we going to put her?" She asked. "That's what I'm deciding now." I replied. I thought for a little while before asking Kirara, "Would your room be alright? For now until we can find a better place." "I'm ok with that great samurai." She said as she bowed. "Can you also take care of her until Yukino can help you?" I inquired. "Yes great samurai." Kirara replied once more.

"Kikuchuyo, follow Kirara to her room and set her down once Kirara has the preparations prepared. And set her down GENTLY." I ordered Kikuchuyo in a stern voice. "Fine..." he said before following Kirara.

**Kirara's point of view**

I walked over to my room, then turned around to see if Kikuchuyo was following me with the girl. He was, so I turned around and continued walking until we reached my room. "Great samurai, can you hold her for a bit longer while I prepare a makeshift bed?" I asked him. "Might as well..." He replied angrily.

I got a mat, a pillow, and two blankets. I set the mat down first, then one of the blankets, then the pillow. "Ok great samurai, you may set her down." I told the machine samurai. He set her down gently on the mat as I put the blanket over her.

"Thank you, you can go now." I told him. "Finally! It seems like everyone here wants to boss me around and make me do stuff! Good grief..." Kikuchuyo said as he walked away.

First, I'm going to try to bring her fever down. I get a towel from a nearby closet and went to a stream to get it wet. I walk but to the hut and back to my room where she sleeping peacefully. I put the cloth on her forehead, and it already got warm the instant I put it on her forehead.

Next, her cut. I'm not really good with cuts, so the only thing I do is rip some extra fabric that I had and tie it around her cut. That will do for now until Yukino get's here. So, the only thing left to do is sit by her side and either wait for her to wake up or for Yukino to arrive.

_End of chapter 2 _(Please review and let me know if there is anything I can fix)


	3. Searching

Chapter 3

Searching

**Ayrm's point of view**

When I woke up, it was afternoon. I could tell, because it's a lot warmer then it usually is when Azure normally wakes me up. Speaking of Azure, where is she? She rarely allows me to sleep in, most of the time she wakes me up early is to ride before it got too warm. And if she is letting me sleep in, she would tell me before I fell asleep. But she didn't. I don't even know if she got back from the forest. I knew I should have given her a ride.

I walked out of my lair where I slept and walked to her house. I peered through the windows to see if she was there. She wasn't. I started to get a little worried. I went to Terra's house to see if she was there. Nope. I started panicking and went to Sirrus to see if he knew.

_Sirrus, Sirrus wake up!_ I yelled at Sirrus while shaking his shoulder. He opened one eye. _What is it?_ he asked wearily. _I...I think Azure and Terra are missing. I can't find them anywhere_. My voice quavered a little. Sirrus sat up immediately. _Missing?! Are you sure?_ He asked. _I checked everywhere they could be. I didn't find any sign of them_. I replied. Sirrus stood up and as he ran out of the cave, he shouted, _Well, if they are missing, we must spread the word! By the way, did you try to contact them yet? _Sirrus asked as he stopped to look at me. Oh yeah. I forgot I could communicate with them telepathically. _Um, let me do that now. _I told Sirrus. _You do that while I inform others. _He said as he bounded out of sight.

I closed my eyes, and thought deeply about Azure. That's how I call her. She would always answer except when she's unconscious. I wouldn't be able to reach her if she was. A few minutes after she didn't answer, I received intelligence that she was unconscious. Now I really started to freak out. She's missing, and she's unconscious. Next, I try Terra. I really hope she answers, because she's our last chance. A few minutes after her not answering, I was told that she was in deep sleep.

Terra is a deep sleeper. She won't respond to anything once she's asleep. Except when someone hurts her. She also doesn't respond when she's in a really bad rage, and, when she's unconscious.

No one is answering, I have no information about where anyone is. My fear began to swell up once, then, it was released. _AZURE! TERRA! _I yelled at the top of my lungs as a pearly white tear slid down my face.

**Terra's point of view**

I woke up in the afternoon when the sun was beating down. I stood up and noticed how dirty my outfit was. "Great, I just washed this yesterday." I said, extremely bitter.

I faced a cliff wall and touched it. It wasn't that hot, and it looked easy enough to climb. I gripped to the cliff and started climbing. It was harder than I thought, but I was managing. It wasn't until I was half way there when I lost my footing and fell to the ground, causing my left foot hurt.

_I can't climb out, so how the heck am I going to get out of here? _I thought. Then I remembered I could change into Sirrus and fly out of here. I facepalmed, then turned into Sirrus as I flew out of the valley.

Once I got to the cliff just above the valley, (I still looked like Sirrus) I was greeted by a man who was walking this way. He had blond hair with a crimson outfit, two swords behind his back, and deep red eyes that locked on me the instant I appeared.

He was still staring at me when I turned back into Terra.

**Kyuzo's point of view**

Just as I got to the edge of the cliff, a great dragon appeared before me, standing right on the edge of the cliff.

It was mainly a deep green with gold claws and eyes, and the tip of it's tail was also gold. Emeralds and Peridot were implanted on the dragon's forehead, chest, and shoulders.

Then, the dragon started to glow white, as it changed to form of a human girl, around the other girl's age that had the fever. She had long, shiny black hair with bright emerald green eyes. She was wearing an evergreen shirt with brown pants and black shoes. All of which were somewhat covered with dirt and dust. (Sorry I couldn't describe Sirrus and Terra earlier. I'll also be explaining Azure and Ayrm's appearance as soon as possible)

I didn't know what to do, so I simply pointed one of my swords in her face. Her reaction completely caught me off guard, which was rare for me. "GET THAT SWORD OUT OF MY FACE OR I'LL TAKE IT FROM YOU AND KEEP HITTING YOUR HEAD WITH IT UNTIL IT CRACKS OPEN LIKE A WALNUT!" The girl shouted at me as she whapped the sword out of my hand. I was so shocked, I took a step back and almost lost my balance. (Yes, Terra is a violent child x3) She had such a temper.

The girl kept staring at me, pure anger in her eyes. I walked over to where my sword was to grab it, but the girl was quicker and snatched it before I could take it. She pointed it at me, but I know she wouldn't hurt me, so I stayed calm. "Do you know where a girl named Azure is?" She asked my with a hint of venom in her voice.

Azure? Could she mean the girl with the fever? Since I have no idea what that girl's name was, I said, "Describe her." The black haired girl looked less angry, but still had the sword pointed at me. "Azure has long, flaming orange hair, she wears a sky blue tank top, midnight blue short jeans, and white shoes. She is also very calm, loves dragons, and puts others happiness before her own. She's also very brave for a girl her age." The other girl finished.

Well, the physical appearances match, and she definitely was calm. But I'm not sure about the last three personality traits. She didn't say anything about dragons, she didn't look very brave, but maybe that's because she didn't know where she was and she was tired. As for the last one, I have no idea.

Since most of them matched up, I decided the girl with the fever was Azure. I stayed silent for a little longer, then nodded my head. The girl dropped the sword and looked extremely surprised yet happy. "You have?! Seriously!?" She said. I gave a shrug, but the girl didn't seem to care. "Take me to her. Please. She's my best friend, and I have been looking every where for her. Well, most of the time, I've been in that valley... but whatever." She finished.

I grabbed my sword, sighed, and said "Come." as I started walking back toward Kanna Village. The girl ran up to my side and started walking by me while humming. How quickly her attitude can change. She stopped humming and asked me a question. "Thank you. Can you please tell me your name so that I can honor you in the future for finding Azure?" I stay silent. "If I tell you my name first, will you give me yours?" I did not want to repeat what happened a few minutes ago, so I nodded. "Ok, well, my name is Terra. Azure's friend, and the second best dragon rider in history. Azure is actually the best dragon rider in history, incredibly skilled with her dragon Ayrm. Anyway, what's your name?" Huh. I learned more about the sick Azure. So she's the best dragon rider in history... Anyway, better ask this impatient girl's question. "Kyuzo." Is all I say. "Ok. Thank you again Kyuzo for finding Azure." Terra said as she bowed. I kept walking until she asked another question, with a little impatience. "When are we going to get wherever we are going to?" She asked. "Soon." Is all I say as we kept making our way to Kanna Village.

**Azure's point of view**

When I woke up, there was a pulsing sensation in my head. A sign that Ayrm called me when I was unconscious. He's probably worried sick about me, so I decided to call him.

I thought about him deeply, and it wasn't even five seconds before he answered. _Azure?! Azure! You are Azure right?! _He said, extreme panic in his voice. "Yes, I am Azure." I said, still extremely faint. _Thank the Soaring Flame! You're alright! Where are you anyway? Sirrus and I have been looking everywhere for you and Terra. You're considered "missing" in Soaring Flame right now! They've got search parties looking everywhere! _I felt so guilty, making everybody do this just for me and Terra. We must be really important to them. "To be honest, I don't even know myself. All I know is that there are rice fields as far as the eye can see, a small village and a cliff where I am. I appear to be in a hut room, probably because of him..." I trailed of, thinking of the blond man. _Him?! Who is "him"? _asked Ayrm, who sounded extremely angry. "Oh, no! I assure you this man means no harm! When I first appeared here, I was cut and horribly tired. I met this man who, apparently, got help for me." I replied to Ayrm as I noticed a bandage around my cut and a wet cloth on my forehead. _Bless that man then. I would love to meet him and offer my sincere thanks. Of course, I'll do that when you've found out where you are. Please call me back as soon as you know. _Ayrm said just as he started to fade away. "Ok." I said before I coughed. I ended the call and sat up.

It was a small room, with a bed, a dresser, and the mat that I am on. The people the blond man got help for me must not be very rich, but I was still extremely grateful. I still felt hot, and I have no idea about my cut, but I put my hand to my forehead when a woman walked into the room.

"You're awake." she said, sounding grateful. I looked up at her and realized she was very pretty and had a kind, caring face. "I'm Yukino, I'll be taking care of you for a while. I'm also the girlfriend of Shichiroji." I never heard of this "Shichiroji" before, so I was a bit confused when she said that. "Shichiroji?" I said in a croaky voice. "Hmm, I guess you haven't met him yet. You don't sound to good either." she crossed over to me and put a gentle hand to my forehead. "That fever of yours is not going away anytime soon." Yukino got up as her brows furrowed. I sighed and looked at the ground.

I wonder where I am, and I wonder if Terra is at this place too, just maybe in a different location. Terra. I completely forgot about her! I started panicking and stood up, but even that was hard to do. I had to look for Terra. "What are you doing?!" asked Yukino the minute I got up. "I have to search for a friend. I don't know where she is, but I hope she's nearby." I took a step forward, but even that was painful. Yukino walked up to me and gently put her hands on my shoulders. "You cant go! You'll be even worse then you already are!"

I stopped struggling and looked down at the ground. Dang, I must've hurt and overdone myself really bad. How long I wonder? "H-how long have I been out?" I asked Yukino. "A little over a day. I'm surprised you didn't wake up because of Kikuchuyo yelling and other things." She replied.

I began to lie back down on the mat when an older man walked into the room. "I heard some commotion in here. Is everything alright?" The man said. Yukino turned around to face him and bowed. "Everything is fine great Kambei. Our patient just woke up actually." The man, who I guess is Kambei, looked at me. "So she is. I'll let Kyuzo and the other girl know so they can visit you." Other girl? Could it be...?

I heard two footsteps coming this way, one was thunderous and running fast, the other was calm and slow. Next thing I knew, Terra burst into the room and smiled. "AZURE!" she said as ran over and hugged me. I hugged her back, grateful that I was able to see her, just not with as much enthusiasm because I was so weak. Terra must of noticed, because she pulled away from me looked at me with concern. "What's wrong with her? Why is she so lethargic and weak?" said Terra as the blond man that got me help walked into the room. I think his name is Kyuzo because I thought Kambei called him that, but I'm not sure.

Kambei was actually the one who spoke up. "Part of it is a fever, another is fatigue. There are more signs, but we do not know what they lead to be causing her to act like this. I don't think it's her cut though." Terra looked at me and blinked. "Do you need something to eat?" She said. "No." I replied.

Terra was about to say something else when we heard yelling coming from another room. "I SAID NO ALREADY! WHY DO YOU KEEP ASKING?!" "Because I want you to play with me!" "I just remembered sprout! I have to help, uh, Heihachi lift, um, stuff, so I can't play now-" "Excuses, excuses. Lying to a little girl like me Kiku? Have you no shame?" "HEY!" argued a voice from a child and something else. "Komachi! Hush! We have a sick patient!" yelled a young woman. "Kikuchuyo! Be quiet-" We watched the blond man walk from the room to the room where Kikuchuyo and Komachi apparently were, and we hear something hitting metal. "OW! What's your problem mister silent guy?!" "Be quiet." We heard footsteps coming back toward the room when the blond man appeared. "Thank...you...?" I said awkwardly to the man who gave a silent nod.

It was silent for a while until Terra spoke up. "I'm glad I found you." I smiled. "I am grateful to. Who told where I was and lead you here?" I asked. "Thought it would've been obvious by now." Terra said as she pointed to the blond man. I wanted to thank him, but I forgot his name. "Thank you. What's your name again?" I asked him. It took him a while before he answered. "Kyuzo." There was a bit of a pause. "Yours?" I looked at him and gave a faint smile. "Azure Ayrmel. Thank you for getting me help Kyuzo-sama." He turned his head and left the room.

Kambei was the next one to speak. "Do you girls know how to fight?" He asked Terra and I. "Um, yes, why?" Terra asked, clearly not interested though. "Would it be too much to ask if you could help us fight the Nobuseri?" Nobuseri? What are they? Well, the others seem kind of desperate about it, so what the heck. "Sure. I'll be glad too." And since I accepted, Terra has to no matter what. "If Azure is willing to help, then I will too." Terra said with determination. "You do realize that you are putting your life on the line for a lot pheasants. Is that alright?" Yukino asked us. "Yes. I'm pretty sure the pheasants have much worse lives then we do. Besides, our riding dragons can help. They're literally invincible." I said. Everyone gave me confused glances except for Terra. "Riding...dragons?" Kambei stuttered. "We're dragon riders." Terra exclaimed simply. "Ok. Anyway, we thank you. Girl with the black hair-" "It's Terra." "Hmm. Terra, can you please show us your skills outside?" "Sure, whatever." Terra walked outside of the room. "Azure, you'll have to show us once your feeling better." Kambei said just as he left. I nodded my head before I fell asleep.

**Raknor's point of view**

I followed the sssscented trail of them as I found my ssssself in a foressssst. I blended amongsssst the shadows ssso that none shall sssee me, and I crushed and killed every living thing that sssstood in my way. The ssssscent of Azure was ssssstrong. Yessss, I wasss correct. I did sssslash her when she fell from the tree. The venom should be making her weaker. However, I did not ssssmell Terra at all. "She musssst have teleported to a different area." I sssaid. "Kanna Village. That'sssss where I am and where they are. Ssssstrange though. I don't sssmell my accurssssed brother Ayrm at all." I looked around Kanna Village and received information that she wasss battling the Nobusssseri. Perfect. Assssss long assssss the Nobuseri win, I won't have to worry about battling the ssseven ssssamurai that are protecting Azure and Terra: Shichiroji, Gorobei, Kikuchuyo, Katssssushiro, Heihachi, Kyuzo, and that Kambei.

_End of chapter 3. _(Sorry it took so long! Here's chapter 3 :D)


	4. The Announcement

Chapter 4

The Announcement

**Sirrus's point of view**

I flew above Soaring Flame, searching for Azure and Terra, even though I know they won't be there. I flew back down toward Ayrm's cave, for some reason feeling defeated. A search party met up with me to explain what happened. _We found no evidence of Azure and Terra at all by the Ma'ectza (may-act-z-uh) mountain. We don't know where else they could be_. reported a green and brown dragon. "Where should we search next?" asked a human man with riding gear. _Don't go anywhere else until Ayrm comes back. He knows possible places they could be. _I replied. "Understood." said the human as the search party went off somewhere.

Just as they left out of my sight, Ayrm came bounding toward me, apparently excited and bursting with news. _Azure just replied to me a few minutes ago! _He said to me as he came to where I was. _Great, where is she? Is Terra there too? _I asked Ayrm. _I don't know any of those questions Sirrus. She didn't know where she was and if Terra was there. _He said. _Oh. _I replied with some disappointment. _At least she replied back_. I said, trying to lighten up Ayrm's mood a bit. _Yes, I suppose so. She said there were rice fields, a valley-cliff thing, and a small village where she was. _Ayrm explained. I thought for a moment before my eyes widen. _I know where she is! I've heard of this place before! It's a peasant town called Kanna Village!_ I said with excitement. _Follow me! _I said as I flew off into the night sky with Ayrm trailing me in my wake.

**Terra's point of view**

"Why do I have to do training?! I said I could fight so I don't see the point of this!" I complained to Kambei. He gave me a cold stare and continued walking to a hill. "Sometimes the mouth does not speak the truth. We can only truly understand one's mind through their actions." What. The. Heck. What did he say?! "I did not follow any of that. You make no sense." I said as I felt my head pounding. Kambei sighed and spoke again. "One who does not understand obviously does not train well enough." That put me in a bad mood the rest of the day, and I thought I saw the faintest of smirks on mister-wise-guy's face.

We reached the top of the hill and I saw a few small drops of blood as it turned into a dazzling gold, then turned black and back to it's normal color. I thought that was extremely weird, but extremely terrifying. Something inside me kept telling me that whosever blood that is was in serious danger... "Terra, we begin training here." Kambei's voice snapped me back into reality. "Huh wa..." I mumbled. Kambei turned around and slapped me in the face. "What the heck was that for?!" I yelled at him. "Another reason you need training." he said. "I said I could fight though!" I told him, really wanting to hit him back. He looked at me for a while before speaking. "Your temper is going to get you into trouble one day." "Hmph." I pouted.

"Anyway, I put wooden poles down the hill to the hut and back in a U shaped formation. The object is to run between the poles as fast as you can. If it matches our speed, you pass." Kambei said. This sounds really easy, because I run all the time. It's part of my nature abilities. "Alright, I'm ready." I said as I prepared myself. "You may go." Kambei said as I ran. As I started running down the hill as fast I could, and I realized that doing that and maneuvering through the poles was extremely difficult. I almost made it to the point where you go back to the hill, but I was going to fast and I slammed into one of the walls of the hut. Right where Azure was. It was lucky that I didn't bring down the wall.

**Kambei's point of view**

This girl needs serious work on her attitude. It won't take long for her training, she did speak the truth. I'm just concerned about her temper. I don't know how Azure can live with this.

She stumbled to her feet after crashing into the wall. Next thing I know, Yukino, Azure, Kikuchuyo, and Komachi were running outside to see what happened. If Azure was out here, I guess she's starting to feel better, when I noticed she had the thickest blanket we had around her, and she was extremely pale.

"Great Kambei! We heard something crash into the wall! Is everything alright?!" Yukino asked me with a concerned expression on her face. "Everything is fine. Terra is just doing some training." I replied. Azure looked over at Terra and back at me. "What kind of training was she doing?" She asked me in the same croaky voice. I looked at her, then the wooden poles. "Something that you'll be doing once you're feeling better-" "Which won't be anytime soon Kambei. Her fever is almost gone, but look at her cut!" Yukino said as she removed Azure's blanket, then the bandage as I saw black blood trickling down her arm and black veins spreading like spider webs. I grabbed her arm and examined it. What is this? I've never seen anything like this. "I must admit, I don't know this. I've never seen something like this..."

Terra came over here, and I noticed she fully recovered from the crash. She was fine until she saw Azure's arm. That's when she screamed. "Azure! Raknor got you!" She said. Azure was even more pale as she nodded her head. "He did! As I fell from a tree, something slashed me. I was extremely weak. I know fevers made you weak, but it couldn't be causing this. Now I understand. Raknor's venom will make me weaker and weaker until I-" "Kambei!" someone yelled behind us.

I turned around to find Shichiroji walking over too us. I guess he was at the cliff, but for what reason? He strode over to our group as I turned to face him. "What's with this mob? It seems awfully suspicious." He said as he smiled at me. I looked at him and shook my head. "It's not a mob. We are examining an injury." I told him, for some reason a little irritated, even though I should be used to what Shichiroji says by now. "Huh. It is really that bad?" He said as he gave me a puzzled look. "I don't think so, but whatever it is, it is foreign to us." I said as I moved to the front of Azure to show Shichiroji her cut. Azure must be really weak, because she didn't even noticed that I grabbed her right arm. She just kept chatting with Terra.

I showed Shichiroji Azure's cut, and he made a face that looked like he wanted to throw up. "What happened to her?" He inquired. "We do not know. Only Terra." I said as I pointed to her. At me saying her name, she stopped talking with Azure as they both turned around to face us. "Do you need something?" asked Terra, surprisingly calm. "No. I was only letting Shichiroji here know that only you knew what happened to Azure. Oh I forgot. Shichiroji, this is Terra-" I pointed to Terra who brushed some dirt off her shirt. "And this is Azure." I said as I pointed to Azure. She gave a faint smile as she nodded. "These two might be able to help us fight the Nobuseri." I explained. "Well, let me introduce myself then." Shichiroji said as he made a small bow to the girls. "I'm am Shichiroji, samurai, Kambei-dono's best friend and mate, and boyfriend of Yukino, if you've met her-" "I have. She's been taking care of me since I've been here. I thank her for that." Azure said to Shichiroji as she gave a grateful smile. Shichiroji looked at Azure with a smile. "Not from here are you?" He asked. "Nope. We got here by a portal that teleported us here, and I think I know the one who made it take me and Azure here..." Terra said. Everyone looked at her with suspicious glances. "Do you think it was...?" Azure said to Terra. "Yes I think it is. We better tell everybody." Terra replied back. "This 'someone'. Is it really that serious?" I asked Terra. She nodded her head with a hard look on her face. "Yes. In fact, this 'someone' isn't even a person. Is there anybody else helping fighting the Nobuseri?" Terra replied. "Yes. We have three other samurai and a few rice farmers that are helping." I exclaimed. "We need to gather all the people fighting the Nobuseri to explain to them what else we might have to fight. Something much, much more deadly." Terra said in a commanding voice. "Ok. Shichiroji and I will look for the others. Terra can come along. Azure, because of your state, we need you to help Yukino set up the table where we usually have our meals." I said as Shichiroji, Terra and I ran off to the forest to search for the rest of the gang.

**Azure's point of view**

I followed Yukino into the hut as we began to clear off the table. As I was doing that, I heard hissing from outside. I didn't see anything, or see any suspicious activity, but I knew something was out there. Yukino didn't seem to notice, only dusting the wooden table. I heard more hissing, except a little louder, as I got into a defensive stance, anticipating an attack. "Why are you like that? We're not going to be attacked." Yukino said with confidence. I glanced back at her through narrowed eyes, then continued staring out the window that showed the eerie forest. Yukino obviously didn't hear the hissing, which wasn't surprising. Although it was too faint for her too hear it, I was able to hear it because the hissing was that of a dragon's. Dragon riders can hear and sense things some others can't.

Nothing seemed to be attacking anytime soon, so I stood up normally and turned away. Still, something didn't seem right. I felt like I was being watched, every one of my movements. I didn't like it.

Finally, the table was cleared. I didn't think samurai were so messy however. Yukino thanked me for helping her with a cheery smile on her face, even though she was the one who did most of the work. I returned the smile back went to Kirara's room, awaiting the other's return. Kyuzo was already in there, silently gazing out the window, not moving a muscle, not batting an eye. I slowly walked up beside him. He barely noticed, only except for his crimson eyes to glance at me, then back outside. "You sense it too?" I ask him weakly. I looked up at him in time to see him briefly nod his head in silence. "Something is definitely out there and watching our every move. I don't like it, I can't shrug off the feeling that it's the thing I'm going to announce to everyone." He looked down at me, his face blank yet pondering. "What is this thing?" he asked, his deep voice sounding unconcerned. I looked back up at him then back down at the ground as I sighed. "It's not human. It's not even machine. It's a dragon that's gone rogue. Back where I live, we don't even consider him 'dragon' anymore. He's a demon, the strongest one there is. I'll explain more once everyone is here." I finished. Kyuzo looked back outside. I could understand why he keeps doing this.

**Terra's point of view **

"Is this everybody?" I asked with impatience. I swear I was going to go insane because I was so bored. Kambei looked at the group. The machine and Kyuzo was back at the hut along with Yukino and Azure, and Kambei and Shichiroji went to find the others. Why did they make me come though?! I didn't find anybody; they did, and all I did was whine the whole time in the forest.

Kambei looked around. We had two new samurai with us: one was quite young to be a samurai, the other had darker skin and looked a little too...cheery. "We're missing Heihachi-dono and Rikichi. We'll search for them now." He said. I groaned and purposely hit my head against a tree. "My feet hurt! I want to go back!" I screamed. Kambei still had the same facial expression as before, but Shichiroji rubbed his head and sighed with an annoyed look on his face. "You're too stubborn and grouchy. Lighten up a bit, for the sake of humanity." He said. My face burned up with anger as I punched the tree. "What was that?! Say it again and I will seriously throw you off a cliff!" The dark skinned samurai spoke up. "He's not trying to insult you. What Shichiroji is trying to say is your too grumpy. You should lighten your mood a bit, that way, people will want to be friends with you, and want to hang out with you." I pouted and turned away from them. "I already have a person who wants to hang out with me and doesn't care about my mood. In fact she's in the hut right now." I growled. The young samurai turned to Kambei. "Is this true sensei? Is there a person like that that's in the hut right now?" He inquired. The dark skinned samurai turned to look at Kambei, his eyebrows raised. Kambei nodded his head. "Yes, besides Terra, there is another person helping us to defeat the Nobuseri. Her name is Azure. Only problem is that she's seriously ill, she's in no condition to fight right now. Terra and Azure came from the same place, correct?" He asked me. My anger diminished as I answered his question. "Yes, Azure and I live in Soaring Flame, a place where dragons and dragon riders, such as myself and Azure, are plentiful." "Dragon riders? What are those sensei?" the young samurai asked. "Dragon riders are people who devote their life to riding dragons, defending their home and others' homes." Said a mysterious voice. I recognized it right away. We all turned around to see a cloaked figure walking toward us. We could only see it's silhouette, the moonlight shining down on her. Azure appeared before us, looking very pale, yet still had a smile on her face. She pulled the hood off to reveal her flaming orange hair. The two new samurai looked very stunned, I'm assuming because of her state.

"Azure? What are you doing here? Do you feel any better?" Shichiroji asked. Azure shook her head. "I have not been feeling better, but I have not been feeling worse. And I came here to fetch you guys, because of Terra's screaming, I had a feeling you guys were done searching." She explained. "We still need to search for two more people. Oh, I forgot to introduce the two other samurai, forgive my rudeness." He pointed to the young samurai. "That is Katsushiro." He nodded respectfully to Azure, and only glanced at me through slightly narrow eyes. "And that is Gorobei-dono." Kambei finished as he pointed to the dark samurai as he gave a cheery wave to Azure and I.

"Kambei-sama, you said you still need to find two more people? I'll go find them." Azure said, her voice surprisingly not as croaky as normal. Shichiroji looked at Azure doubtfully. "Are you sure? You don't look that fit for wandering through the forest." Kambei said, even his voice sounding concerned. "I'll be fine." Azure replied. "Besides, you guys have been searching all afternoon, I bet you guys are tired. I've been resting all day." Gorobei smiled and slung an arm across Azure's shoulders. "Your very considerate. Thank you. I believe I last saw Heihachi-dono and Rikichi somewhere to the northwest part of the forest." Azure nodded her head as Kambei, Shichiroji, Katsushiro, Gorobei and I made our way back to the hut.

**Azure's point of view**

I was walking down the forest path, tree roots branching out like snakes underneath the undergrowth. I couldn't here or see any sign of human life, but I had a feeling I was close.

I stopped and rested by a tree to take a short break, as I grabbed my canteen of water and drank thirstily. After listening to the forest's sweet sound for a few minutes, I pulled the hood over my head and continued walking. The forest was teeming with life, the sound of birds chirping, the wind whistling against the leaves, and... the sound of wood chopping? Could it be the others? I walked toward the direction of the wood chopping and came upon a sunlit clearing. Standing in the clearing, were two men: a redhead that was chopping wood, and another sitting idly, staring at the dirt.

I stayed there silently for a few minutes, observing them while hidden between the trees. As I finally made a movement toward them, I stepped on a twig as it snapped beneath my foot. The redhead instantly stopped and held his sword defensively, while the other one looked up, scared. "W-what is out there?! Ahhhhh!" screamed the one that was sitting. "Who are you?! Show yourself! You don't want to make things difficult!" The redhead shouted at me. I stepped out of the shadows, but I didn't realize until they saw me that my cloak was too big. They couldn't see any part of me, not even my face. The redhead brought his sword up to my throat. "You don't have to be afraid of me." I said. The redhead didn't seem convinced. "How should I know to trust you?!" He said with venom. "I am a friend of Kambei-sama's." I told them as I lifted my hood to reveal my pale face. The redhead dropped his sword. "Oh ok..." he replied and gave a guilty smile. "Sorry about that, but why are you so pale?" He asked. "I'm ill, that's all." He instantly took a step back. "Don't worry, it's not contagious, you would only get in this state if you got cut by it..." I revealed my arm, and unwrapped the bandages, revealing the black blood and the black veins. He looked at it and immediately recoiled. "What happened?!" He asked with concern. "I'll explain when we get back too the hut. Kambei called a meeting with all the samurai and a few of the peasants so that my friend Terra and I could explain what me might face beside the Nobuseri. Something far more deadlier. So I went into the forest to find you guys and bring you back, even in this condition. Kambei, Shichiroji, and Terra were looking for you guys including Gorobei-sama and Katsushiro-sama, but they couldn't find you." I explained. I looked at him, then glanced at the other man, who was standing a bit shyly behind the samurai. "You're Rikichi, right?" I asked him. "Y-yes..." He stuttered. "And you're Heihachi-sama, correct?" I asked the redheaded samurai. He smiled and nodded. "That's me! You don't have to call me Heihachi-sama though." "Are you sure?" I asked with a hint of doubt in my voice. "Yeah! Actually, it kind of annoys me a bit, but I would understand coming from you. You don't look you're from anywhere near here right...what's your name?" Heihachi replied. I smiled weakly. "Azure." "Nice too meet you then Azure! And thank you for coming to search for us even though you were sick." He smiled and started to walk back toward the hut. "We'd better hurry, I expect we're making the others late. C'mon Rikichi!" He said as a hesitant Rikichi slowly trailed after him. I smiled as I started to follow them. Heihachi was really nice, I could tell we'll get along pretty well.

_**End of chapter 4. **(Sorry it took so long _ I'll try to finish the other chapter ASAP. Also, I changed the title! It will now be called "Flight of the Dragon Rider." Idk, just "Dragon Rider" sounded kinda plain. So don't get it confused k?)_


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